Venice – The Cultural Project Malvasia Pop-Up has been honored with the 2026 Iter Vitis Award in the „Best Wine and Food Experience“ category. The award is presented by Iter Vitis, an international association dedicated to promoting wine cultural heritage and sustainable wine tourism.
Project Combines Wine, History, and Urban Culture
Malvasia Pop-Up was founded by Laura Riolfatto, who works as a cultural project manager and sommelier in Venice. The project is dedicated to the nineteen Italian Malvasia grape varieties and their historical connection to Venice and the Mediterranean region. The event takes place at the Docks Cantieri Cucchini complex in the San Pietro di Castello district; it also features city tours, lagoon cruises, and social evenings centered around wine and cuisine. At the awards ceremony, Riolfatto was also named Malvasia Ambassador for the international project Malvasia Myth ...was appointed, according to the organizer.
Three events are planned through the end of the year
According to the announcement, the program will continue through December 2026. On October 17, a lagoon cruise aboard the historic wooden boat Sant’Alban di Camoma will depart from San Pietro di Castello and travel through the Venetian Lagoon; the event will explore the connection between the history of Malvasia and the local Dorona grape variety. This will be followed on November 20 by The Night of the Malvasias At the Tesa3 Marzotto in the Docks Cantieri Cucchini: Venetian author Alberto Toso Fei weaves urban legends into the history of Malvasia, accompanied by a tasting of rare red Malvasia wines in collaboration with Iter Vitis and the Malvasia di Casorzo DOC Protection Consortium. The event concludes on December 20 with a luncheon titled The Table as a Cultural Language, also at the Cantieri Cucchini docks, with a focus on red Malvasia wines from various Italian wine-growing regions. Malvasia Pop-Up It is also part of the European cultural route Via Querinissima, which retraces the journey of the 15th-century Venetian merchant Pietro Querini.
